Bihar's Woman Voter: Nitish Kumar's Silent Weapon, And NDA's Fresh Outreach

Elections in India are not won or lost just in political rallies, manifestos, and social media chatter. At homes, kitchens, and offices, a silent voter base discusses its choices and priorities in the run-up to polling day. And this section of society often throws up surprises on the counting day, making and breaking political fortunes. These are women voters.

Election after election, women voters have emerged as a key factor in victories and losses of political heavyweights. And nowhere is this more true than in Bihar, where incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's prohibition move won him the support of women voters and ensured his long run in the hot seat.

It's election season in Bihar again, and political parties have started reaching out to this key voter base with promises of welfare schemes. While the Nitish Kumar government's Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana offers Rs 10,000 to eligible women beneficiaries to help them find a source of income, the Mahagathbandhan of RJD-Congress has listed several promises for the women of Bihar if they come to power.

Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an emotional appeal to the women of Bihar that may have put the NDA ahead in the race for women's votes. The Prime Minister said his mother was verbally abused on a campaign stage of the Opposition bloc and that this act had humiliated every mother and sister. He went on to talk about how a mother braves hardships for her children and said that even if he forgave his dead mother's insult, Bihar will not.

As the political temperature rises in Bihar, the key contenders will have their fingers crossed on what the women voters are thinking and how they will decide their fortunes at the polling booth.

Women Voters In Bihar

The 2010 Assembly polls in Bihar witnessed a big shift -- for the first time in decades, the turnout of women voters outnumbered that of men. This trend has continued since. A key factor behind this shift is Nitish Kumar's women's empowerment push. Ever since he took office in 2005, women have overwhelmingly voted for Mr Kumar.

A key move that sustained such support was the introduction of the prohibition policy in the state. For an urban mind, it could be confusing why a state government in an economically backward state such as Bihar would forego massive revenue by enforcing an alcohol ban. But politically, it has been nothing short of a masterstroke. Underprivileged women, who would suffer domestic violence and financial crisis due to the alcoholism of their husbands, backed Mr Kumar's initiative and their support reflected in the results.

Elections in Bihar hinge on the caste arithmetic. It is against this backdrop that women voters become all the more critical. This voter base cuts across castes and communities, with women often silently defying their families in voting for a leader of their choice. And on counting day, contenders get a pleasant surprise or a crushing shock.

Money Promises, And A 'Maa' Appeal

With all parties realising how women voters hold the key to poll success, a long list of promises and gifts is going around. Topping the list is cash transfers. Cash deposits into their own bank accounts provide women with autonomy and dignity. They can use the money for their personal expenses and for their children. The consumption aspect aside, the independence of being able to spend on something they want is the big gain for women voters. Whether it is Lakshmir Bhandar in West Bengal or Ladli Behna in Madhya Pradesh or Maiya Samman Yojana in Jharkhand, cash transfers to women are part of the playbook for every party in every state.

In Bihar, political parties have started reaching out to women voters. Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, the Nitish Kumar government has decided to provide Rs 10,000 to eligible women beneficiaries to help them find a source of income. This amount will be transferred to their bank accounts starting September -- just in time before the model code of conduct kicks in and the festive season begins.

Main opposition RJD, too, has rolled the dice. Wishing "sisters of Bihar" on Rakshabandhan, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, promised policies aimed at the well-being and security of women.

He promised various schemes, including Beti, a complete care scheme from birth to employment, Mai-Behan Maan Yojana that promises Rs 2,500 every month to women, a monthly pension of Rs 1,500 for widows, elderly, and disabled women, and subsidised LPG cylinders at Rs 500 each. Other promises include residential coaching institutes for girls, world-class sports training and job opportunities and free exam forms and travel facilities.

Emotions often trump numbers in a battle of narratives. And Prime Minister Modi may have just made a decisive pitch.

Addressing nearly 20 lakh women on video conferencing yesterday, he referred to a video that shows a group of youngsters shouting abuses from an RJD-Congress stage. "My mother, who had nothing to do with politics, was subjected to vile abuses from the RJD-Congress platform. This is deeply saddening, painful, and distressing," he said.

"I want to tell those who abused my mother in front of the people of Bihar -- Modi might forgive you once, but the land of Bihar and India has never tolerated insult to a mother," the Prime Minister added.

As the Congress tries to control damage and stress that no key leader of the Mahagathbandhan was present when the slangs were used, the BJP has made this a focal point of their campaign and are reaching out to women. A Bihar bandh has also been called to protest against this.

The Story Of Jeevika

Prime Minister Modi yesterday launched the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited. This initiative aims to provide easy funds at affordable interest rates to women associated with Jeevika. The Prime Minister yesterday transferred a sum of Rs 105 crore into this scheme.

To understand what this means for women in Bihar, one needs to go back nearly two decades. In one of the key steps after its rule began, the Nitish Kumar government tied up with the World Bank in 2006 to start Jeevika, a poverty-alleviation project that focused on improving the socio-economic status of women in rural areas of Bihar. As part of this initiative, self-help groups of women were formed to boost financial inclusion, skill development, and sustainable livelihoods.

The frames in Jeevika's montage are of women gathering under thatched roofs, notebooks in hand, balancing coins on the edge of their saris and slowly learning the grammar of self-reliance.

Over the years, Jeevika has enabled rural households to generate self-employment and opportunities for skilled workers. It has also put rural women at the centre of communities' decision-making processes. Their involvement has also had a social impact in the form of campaigns against evils such as dowry and child marriage.

The Centre's infusion of fresh funds and the launch of the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited marry Prime Minister Modi's national outlook with a foundation Nitish Kumar built over a decade. This differs from cash transfers. For rural women who have long seen politics as a male preserve, here is an initiative that speaks directly to them, not through promises of protection, but through the sturdier promise of partnership.

And yet, Bihar resists easy scripts. Cash can be counted, but empowerment is harder to measure. A Rs 105 crore deposit may plant new seeds of entrepreneurship, but whether these blossoms translate into votes depends on whether women feel seen not just as beneficiaries, but as citizens shaping their own destiny.

Photo Credit: A comparison of women-centric schemes in various states

Women-Centric Schemes: A Poll Masterstroke

In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh election, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's Ladli Behena scheme reshaped the state's electoral map. The NDA's 'Ladki Bahin' scheme in Maharashtra reaped political dividends too. Not just for BJP and its allies, women-centric schemes have paid off for Opposition parties too. Whether it is Mamata Banerjee's Lakshmir Bhandar or Hemant Soren's Maiya Samman Yojana, these targeted schemes have always brought votes along.

The question is, will the Jeevika push and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana bring similar gains for team NDA in Bihar.

There are, however, key differences between the Jeevika push and cash transfer schemes. Jeevika is not restricted to cash doled out; it invites women into partnership and lays down a larger role in social decision-making. By supporting women entrepreneurs with easily accessible funds, it promises both economic independence and dignity.

As many as 1.4 crore women associated with self-help groups are already part of the Jeevika network. They hold the key, not just for their own empowerment, but also for the fortunes of Bihar's political heavyweights.